Apparatus for reclaiming oil



July 29, 1930. .1. R. MILLER I APPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING OIL Filed Feb.26, 1927 Patented July 29, 1930 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE JAMES ROYSMILLER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO MILLER OIL PURIFIERCOMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIAAPPARATUS FOR RECLAIMING OIL Application filed February 26, 1927. SerialNo. 171,239.

My invention relates to apparatus for reclaiming oil, of the kind shownin my prior Patent No. 1,359,614 of Nov. 23, 1920.

The object in view is to provide an apparatus by which lubricating oil,such as that drained from the crank cases of internal combustionengines, may be reclaimed and renewed for further use.

Features of improvement and novelty in the present invention consist inimproved means'for collectin and returning the disintegrated or sprayeoil by partially arrested or retarded gravitating flow.

Also in means for concentrating the spray ing action; means providing alimited Water supply to the oil circulation in transit; means forheating the oil in transit, and various other features as shall be morefully hereinafter described.

. In the drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through V the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line II-II of Fig. 1.

The main vessel or container for the oil to be reclaimed is in anysuitable form of reservoir, as a cylindrical tank 2, preferably havingdouble insulated walls, a sloping bottom 3 having a delivery conduit 4with a controlling valve 5, and an upper removable cover or top 6 havinga vapor outlet vent pipe 7.

The tank is heated in any desirable way by suitably controlled heatingmeans, as electrical heaters 8 located at intervals around the outerlower side portion, and provided with the outlet 4, and a similarcontrolling valve 16. Said pipes are connected by a common.

centrifugal pump 19, connected by a pipe 20 with the base of tank 2,with an intervening controlling valve 21. The oil is drawn off by thepump through such connection and forced upwardly by pipe 22, through aheating reservoir or tank 23 and delivered by pipe 24 and its downwardlyturned terminal 25, within the upper interior portion of the tank, abovebasin 11. Heating tank 23 is provided with an inserted electric heatingunit 26 of any suitable construction provided with the customaryconnection-s, switch control, etc., for regulating the supply andtemperature. The delivery pipe 24 is provided with a regulating valve27. v v

A water supply tank 28 is connected with pipe 20 beyond valve 21 by afeed pipe 29, provided with a controlling valve 30 and a sight feedindicator 31, by which the rate of supply of water to the oil supply maybe regulated and observed. p I A splash plate or disk 32 is supported bya suitable bracket 33 above the basin 11 and pipe terminal 25, and isprovided with a series of depending spray collectors 34. The latter maybe of any suitable strand form, as linked chains, wire mesh, or of otherform, adapted to collect spray and to deliver it downwardly by gravitywith a retarded flow. As shown, the chains 34 are arranged annularlyaround the middle portion of the tank and are sufficiently numerous toprovide frequent obstructions for collection of the sprayed contentsrofthetank. A thermometer 35 is inserted at any suitable point throu h thewall of the tank, for observation 0 the temperature.

The construction and operation of the apparatus will be readilyunderstood from the foregoing description.

Oil for reclamation being charged into the .tank to any suitable level,as the line a, a,

water issuing from pipe terminal 25.

It is not, however, essential that the upwardly circulating column ofoil and air shall meet the downcomingvolume of oil and water issuingfrom pipe 24, and it may discharge at some other point. It will beobserved that conduit 12 is considerably larger than pipe 24, and thatthe principal circulation and active treatment is through conduit 12.The air jet from pipe 13 primarily acts as an injector, carrying'thecontained oil upwardly through and out of the conduit, in the form of ageyser-like spray.

The air bubbles thoroughly mm with the oil and break it up into thinfilms and spray by their rising and expanding action. The lower portionof the body of oil, with any precipitated deposits of solid matter, maybe disturbed and agitated from time to time by the admission of air frompipe 15 under control of valve 16.

As observed, chains 34 depend from splash plate 32 through the fullintervening distance to the oil level, and to a considerable extent intothe body of oil. By such immersion the chains are maintained heated andmaintain the heat of the oil, while also retarding gradualflowdownwardly thereover. The upwardlymoving currents of air from pipe 13eflects a thorough breaking up of the oil in the form of a spray, withincidental carrying oil. of ;the lighter hydrocarbons with which it isdiluted. The oil adhering to the chains is in continued exposure to suchact-ion of the air during its retarded descent, efifecting completeelimination of all more or less volatile matter, as the operationcontinues.

The particular advantage of the arresting chains is that the oil ismaintained in suspension for a greatly-increased time as compared tomere air suspension.

' The, temperature of the contained oil is gradually increased until itis heated to above 212 -F. by the heaters -8,-whereupon valve 30 ispartially opened to supply water, at the rate of ten totwenty drops perminute to the oil [passing-through line 20. The purpose of such waterapplication-is to prevent a possibleflash of the oil in-thetank; toassist in discharge of'the lighter hydrocarbons with which the crankcase oil isinvested, and to assist in-deodorizingsuch oil, by the wateradmixture, in connection with the spraying treatment. 4

Due to the temperature within the tank, the Water vaporizes and forms asteam or water vapor blanket over the surface of the oil in the oilreservoir, thus preventing, by grounding, any accumulated static chargeof electricity in the oil vapor above the surface of the oil.

The water forms steam which in turn reduces the vapor tension or boilingpomt of the oil under treatment, thus permitting the vaporization of theproduct which we w sh to vaporize at a temperature below that whichwould be required to vaporize the product if'water was not used.

The steam formed from the added water preventsthe cracking or breakingdown of the oil or hydrocarbon as it passes the electric heating unit.

As the temperature of the oil under treatment rises, the supply of waterfrom tank 28 is gradually increased by operation of valve 30, within thejudgment of the operator.

-After such water application is continued for a suitable period, thetemperatureof the oil is further increased. to from 300 to 350 F. andthere maintained for several hours. A

sample of the oil may then be taken from the tank by one of'severalexternal w1thdrawal cocks or valves, located at different levels aroundthe tank, as in 'my previous patent, and the flash and fire tests may bethen made.

Whenthe oil has been subjected to the treatment above described, untilit is restored to a condition equivalent to that of new oil, as shown bysuch tests, the operation is then discontinued by shutting off the heat,and the blower and pump, with closing of valves 27, 21', 30 and 14. Theoil in the tank is then allowed to cool to a temperature of from 180 to200 F. At such approximate temperature, cover 6 is removed and a soapsolution of any suitable kind and proportion is poured into the tank asdescribed in my former patent.

After the addition of such emulsifying soap solution, blower 18 is againstarted and valve 16 is opened, producing a violent agitation of theentire body of oil and thorough admixture with it of the soap solution.During such agitation an addition of water 15 made substantially equalin quantity to the amount of the solution added.

Action of blower 18 is then discontinued and valve 16 is closed. Currentis again supplied to heaters 8 and the tank is reheated to a suitabletemperature, efi'ecting settlement downwardly of all foreign matter incoagulation or brought out of the colloidal state resulting from theemulsion treatment. 7

The impurities which settle to the bottom of the container 2 are drawnofi through pipe .4 by opening valve 5. For the purpose of I pluralityof suitable connections 36 at various hei hts, by which the oil may bewithdrawn 510m time to time. It will be understood, of course, thatsuitable filtering and collecting means may be utilized in storing theoil, as is generally understood and practiced in the art.

It will be understood also that the construction of the apparatus may bevariously changed or modified in difierent details, proportions, size,design or otherwise by the skilled mechanic, to adapt it to theconditions of use, but that all such changes are within 'the province ofthe skilled mechanic and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for reclaiming used lubricating oil, a containerhaving at its upper end a splash plate, a vertically arranged open endedconduit below the splash plate and adapted to have its lower endsubmerged in the contents of the container, means for furnishing acompressed air supply, a valvecontrolled pipe connected therewithleading upwardly within the lower endof the conduit, and a supplementalsimilar valve-controlled pipe with its terminal disposed towards thebottom of the container.

2. In an apparatus for reclaiming used lubricating oil, the combinationwith a vessel provided withan outlet and a cover. 0

means for circulating the contents of the tank from its bottom to itsupper portion, means for heating and introducing water into the oil intransit, means for supplying the mixed oil and water in theupper'portion of the tank, and a series of depending spray collectingstrand devices.

3. In an apparatus for reclaiming used lubricating oil, the combinationwith a vessel provided with an outlet and a cover having anopening'therein, of means for circulating the contents of the tank from.itsbottom to its upper portion, means for heating and introducing waterinto the oil during its flow from the bottom to the upper portion of thetank, means for spraying the mixed oil and water inthe upper portion ofthe tank, a splash plate in theupper open portion of the tank, and meansdepending from the splash plate for collecting the spray and retardingitsv return toward the lower portion of the tank.

4. In an apparatus for reclaiming used lubricating oil, the combinationwith a vessel provided with a bottom outlet and a cover, of means forcirculating the contents of the tank from its bottom to its upperportion, means for heating and introducing water into the oil during itsflow from the bottom to the top of the tank, means for spraying themixed oil and water in the upper portion of the tank, means forcollecting the spray and retarding its return to the bottom of the tank,and means at the bottom of the tank for agitating the contents thereof.

5. In apparatus for reclaimingused lubricating oil, the combination witha container having a valve controlled bottom outlet and a vented cover,of an interior splash plate having a plurality of depending collectingdevices, means for withdrawing the oil from the bottom of the tank andreturning the same to the upper portion of the tank below the splashplate, means for heating the oil and adding water thereto during itsflow from the bottom to the top of the tank, and

means for spraying the returned mixture of oil and water against thesplash plate and collecting devices.

- 6. In apparatus for reclaiming used lubricating oil, the combinationwith a container having a valve controlled bottom outlet and a ventedcover, of an interior splash plate having a plurality of dependingcollecting chains, means for withdrawing the oil from the bottom of thetank, means for adding water thereto, means for heating the mixture ofoil and water withdrawn from the bottom of the tank, and means forreturning the mixture to the upper portion of the tank below the s lashplate, an upwardly directed blow pipe or spraying the returned oil andwater against the splash late and collectportion of the blow ipe, saidconduit hav ing an upper collecting basin.

7. In apparatus for reclaiming used lubricating oil, the combinationwith a container having a valve controlled bottom outlet and a ventedcover, of an interior splash plate having a plurality of dependingcollecting devices, means for transferring the oil from the bottom ofthe tank to its upper portion, means for heating the oil and addingwater thereto during its flow from the bottom to the top of the tank,and means for spraying the heated mixture of oil and water against thesplash plate and collecting devices.

8. In apparatus for reclaiming used lubricating oil,the combination witha container having a valve controlled bottom outlet and -a vented cover,of an interior splash plate having a plurality of depending collectingdevices, a conduit for circulating oil from the bottom to the top of thecontainer, means for heating and spraying a limited supply of water tothe oil during its flow from the bottom to the top of the container, andmeans for spraying the mixture of oil. and water against the splashplate and collecting devices.

9. In apparatus for reclaiming used lubricating oil, a containerprovided with a bottom valve controlled outlet and an upper ventedcover, means for heating the container, a splash plate in the upper partof the container, .a collecting basin having a ce'ntral .dependinconduit below the splash plate, a series 0 collecting chains dependingfrom the s lash late, a blow pipe extending upwar 1y wit in the basinconduit, an agitating blow pipe directed toward the outlet conduit,means or efiecting circulation of the contents of the container from thebottomto a point between the splash late and the collecting basin, andmeans for eating and adding water to the oil during its flow from thebottom to the top of the tank. In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix mysignature.

JAMES ROYS MILLER.

